Chapter 2
Bear shifter Luke stifled a grumble from his bear as he leaned against the counter in the Five Pines office trailer behind Alpha Colt’s house.
Luke rubbed his chest and stared out the window. All he could see was the woods, but he could feel that whatever was up with him wasn’t in the trailer.
“So, the gazebo build starts Monday,” Colt said. “They want it finished by the end of the month, but I think if you and I work together we’ll be done in three weeks. Luke?”
He turned. “Huh?”
“The gazebo. You and me.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“What about me?” Riggs asked.
Colt turned the gazebo plans over and said, “You and Tyler will handle a residential deck in Mill Creek. It’s a simple one, so I think a week is plenty, then you can join us at the gazebo.”
“Sounds good,” Riggs said.
Luke smiled but his chest went tight again. Colt said, “What’s up with you?”
“I don’t know. My bear’s been acting up.”
“Need to shift?” Riggs asked.
“Nah. I just need to get some fresh air, I think.”
“Oh, and a good burger or three, yeah?” Riggs asked.
Colt put the plans away and said, “Three burgers?”
“Hell yes. I didn’t eat lunch today.”
“I saw you eat lunch,” Luke said.
“That was a second breakfast. And a pre-dinner.”
Luke shook his head at Riggs and turned to their office manager, Maggie. “Did you and Tyler want to join us?”
“Not tonight,” Maggie, Tyler’s mate, said. “We’re going tomorrow night. You guys have fun.”
They walked out of the trailer and Luke took a deep breath of the early evening air, the warmth of the setting sun settling on his skin.
“Maybe it’s the burgers,” Riggs said.
“What about them?” Luke asked as they headed to The Howl across the lake.
“They’re magic. So maybe your bear is acting up because – even though I called dibs on the next truemate due to burger magic, you’re the one who’s getting some romantic mojo.”
The three wolves who owned the tavern had found their truemates in May, one after the other, starting with the wolf cook’s favorite burger – The Blue Monster.
Then the bouncer, and finally the alpha.
Sigh, the cook, and his human mate Juliette, had said there might be magic in the special burgers, and clearly Riggs had drunk the Kool Aid.
Luke wasn’t sure he believed in burger magic mojo. But he rubbed the space over his heart anyway as they drew closer to the tavern and saw the line starting to form at the front door.
“What’s the burger of the week?” he asked.
“Audrey’s ‘We’re Gonna Have a Gouda Time’,” Riggs said. “Which is why I want three of them, because I freaking love gouda. And it’s a damn shame that my bear isn’t acting up. I should definitely find my truemate with my favorite cheese on a burger.”
Colt shook his head. “You sound unhinged right now. And honestly, Luke, if your bear is acting up, then maybe Riggs is right and you’re about to meet your mate. But if not, then after dinner, we’ll all go out for a shift and wander.”
Luke was hopeful that whatever was up with his bear would resolve one way or the other.
And considering how lonely his bed had felt lately, he sure as hell hoped his truemate would show up.
Watching the wolves find their forever girls so close together had really given him and his friends hope. But fate could be fickle, and it wasn’t like Sigh had named the burger after any of them. It was after Alpha Dare’s mate Audrey.
But the closer they got to The Howl, the more interested his bear became. Less restless, more focused.
They walked to the back of the restaurant to avoid the line and came in through the back, stopping at the kitchen to greet Sigh and Juliette and put in their orders for as soon as they were able to send burgers to the deck.
When they reached the bar, where Dare and Audrey were working, the couple thanked them for their hard work on the deck, and said the reserved table was ready for them and everything was on the house for the night.
They put in drink orders, waved at Trick the bouncer at the door and his mate Cassidy nearby at the bar rolling silverware, and walked toward the doors to the deck.
Luke could hear the band tuning up.
But suddenly his bear wasn’t interested in that at all.
He froze in the middle of the main room, his ears buzzing and his bear growling softly.
“You okay?” Colt asked.
“I, uh, yeah. I’ll be right there,” he said.
Instead of going to the deck, he walked past Trick and opened the door.
He stopped just outside, sorting through the scents in the air. What had brought his bear out? He picked up car exhaust, perfume, the damp earth from the nearby river.
And under all of that, her.
Sweet like honey and warm like the afternoon sun.
His bear surged so hard in his chest that he gripped the door frame and the wood creaked.
Mine.
Scanning the line of people waiting for a table on the deck that was minutes from opening, he saw her.
She stood midway down the line beside a blonde female. Her hair was copper and fell in thick waves past her shoulders.
She looked at him suddenly, her dark eyes wide, her cheeks flushed.
The whole world narrowed down to her.
“Well, hell,” Trick said softly, chuckling.
“What?” Luke asked without looking away from her.
“I know what just happened. You look like we did when we found our forever girls. I’m convinced the burgers really are magic.”
“What do I do?” Luke whispered.
“Walk over there and talk to her before you rip the door off,” Trick said with a chuckle.
“I wasn’t going to rip the door off.”
“It creaked, man.”
Luke glanced at his hand and the stark white knuckles and forced himself to relax enough to let go. “Right.”
“Easy,” Trick said, lowering his voice. “She’s human. She probably has no clue what’s going on.”
Luke nodded. He could do this. He could be cool, calm, and collected.
Inhaling, he rolled his shoulders and walked down the line of people, stopping in front of the copper-haired beauty.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Luke.”
Her brows lifted, her deep brown eyes glittering with curiosity.
“Hi. I’m Valley. Are you… another bouncer?”
“No. I’m actually part of the construction crew that worked on the deck.”
She stared at him for a long, painful moment.
“I’m Eisley,” her friend quipped.
Valley’s cheeks flamed bright red and Luke was entirely enchanted. “Nice to meet you both. Are you waiting for a table on the deck?” he asked.
“Yes,” Valley said. “He mentioned it would be a while.”
While she spoke, her gaze traveled over him, and he felt every inch of it. His bear pressed against his skin with an interested rumble. He was so freaking close to her, but still so far away.
“Would you,” he cleared his throat when his voice went gravelly for a moment, “like to join me and my friends on the deck? We’ve got a reserved table.”
Valley glanced at the female next to her. “Not without my friend.”
“Of course,” he said.
He liked that she was loyal to her friend.
“Then let’s go,” Eisley said. “I’m starving. I didn’t eat lunch so I would be extra hungry for one of the burgers.”
“You sound like my friend Riggs,” Luke said. “Come on. Let’s get settled before the band starts.”
Valley smiled at him and his bear did a somersault in his head.
He walked them to the front and Trick smiled as they entered the main room. Out on the deck, he found the reserved table by the rail with a great view of the band and also the river.
He introduced them to Colt and Riggs, and pulled chairs over, sitting next to Valley, his bear practically swooning at how good she smelled.
“Oh wow, this is so cool,” Valley said. “It’s our first time here.”
“Then you’re in the right place for a first timer,” Riggs said.
The waitress came out with their drinks, and took Valley and Eisley’s orders for food and drink.
The deck started to fill up as Trick let people in from the waiting list, and a little after seven, the band welcomed everyone to the kickoff for the summer concerts.
Their food arrived a few songs later, the waitress saying that Sigh had put a rush on the girls’ food.
Luke waited until Valley and Eisley’s food arrived, and then they were all digging into the burgers of the week and listening to music.
In between bites of a thick burger and crispy steak fries, Luke and Valley traded questions, and he learned that she was a baker and had grown up on the outskirts of Mill Creek.
It was wild to him that he’d been in King Lake for five years and had never even felt like he should go across the bridge because his mate was there.
Timing was everything when it came to truemates.
Long after the plates were cleared and another round of drinks ordered, Luke asked Valley to dance when a slow song started, and she agreed. For the first time, as he held her against him and swayed to the music with her, everything felt right in his world.
No more restless bear.
Now he’d found his other half.
When the song ended, they stopped moving and time froze, her gaze dropping to his lips and her sweet scent wrapping around him. He lowered his head and kissed her, slowly, deeply, relishing the first incredible taste of her.
She sighed happily, smiling, as they walked back to the table.
Eisley said, “I’m sorry to be a wrecking ball to all the cuteness between you two, but I’m ready to head out.”
“Already?” Valley asked.
“It’s ten o’clock!”
“Oh, is it? Wow, the night went fast.” Valley smiled at Luke. “She’s my ride.”
“I could take you home later, if you’d like to stay and hang out longer.”
Valley stared at him in surprise. “Oh! Yeah, I would. Do you mind, Eisley?”
“Not at all.”
“Let’s walk her out, though,” Luke said. “Just to make sure she gets on the way safely.”
Valley smiled at him, but it was the kind of smile that said she approved of him caring about her friend. They walked Eisley out and watched her get in her car and leave, and then Luke said, “Ready for some more music?”
She looked up at him and suddenly he caught the subtle hint of her arousal.
“You live around here, right?”
“Across the lake.”
She looked across the lake, the moonlight shining on the surface, and then back to him.
“Would you like to walk to my house?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He held out his hand and she let her gaze drop to it, and then back to his eyes. And then she slid her hand into his. His bear surged with the contact as her fingers curled around his.
“Did you feel that?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
He didn’t know how much to share with her. They’d met a few hours ago, and she was human. Instead of outright telling her that they were mates, he said, “It’s what happens when fate brings people together.”
“Sounds magical.”
Like the burgers.
“Yeah, it is.”
Heat swirled between them, his bear’s half growl, half purr rumbling in his chest, too quiet for her to hear.
They followed the curve of the lake road, the music from The Howl fading behind them. The night grew quieter as the house came into view, his truck parked on the driveway next to it.
“Is it okay if I’m not ready for you to take me home right away?” she asked when they stopped at his truck.
“That’s very okay. I wasn’t really ready to say goodbye to you yet, either.”
She stepped closer, her body brushing his, setting his nerve endings on fire. “Then don’t say goodbye just yet, Luke.”
Damn, he loved how his name sounded when she said it.
“Valley, if you come inside with me, I’m going to want to kiss you again.”
“Good.”
“Oh?” he asked with a chuckle.
“I was hoping you would.”